What lives in coniferous forests?

Lynx hunting in boreal forest in winterConiferous trees can survive in lower temperatures (and drier climates) than deciduous trees. This is why coniferous woodlands are often found undisturbed in northerly or mountainous regions where few people live. Large areas of coniferous forest are found in North America, Scandinavia and Russia, especially Siberia. They are called boreal forests or taiga.

Forest animals

During the coldest months some forest animals, such as the brown bear, hibernate. Others try to find whatever food they can. Elk and reindeer scrape away the snow in their search for mosses underneath.

The crossbill uses its strange beak to extract seeds from pine cones. Predators, such as the lynx and goshawk, hunt small mammals as they search for nuts and berries.

The bogs and ponds in the boreal forests are breeding grounds for many different types of insect. There may be more than 30,000 kinds of insect that live there. Birds migrate to the taiga in summer to feed on the abundant insect life.